In a new documentary, Freddie Flintoff speaks out about the accident in a Morgan Super 3. The accident that caused the BBC to close Top Gear.
New footage has now been released of the car accident that Freddie Flintoff was involved in while filming Top Gear . The accident took place in December 2022 and involved a Morgan Super 3. Flintoff was not wearing a helmet during the collision and suffered serious injuries.
A new documentary on Disney+, Flintoff , features footage of the accident for the first time, with the former cricketer and TV presenter speaking candidly about both the incident itself and the psychological aftermath.
Freddie Flintoff says he remembers the accident clearly. In the documentary trailer, he says, among other things, that everything is crystal clear to him.
– I remember everything about it… it's so clear to me.
He has previously stated that he suffers from anxiety and nightmares as a result of the incident, as he mentioned on the program Freddie Flintoff's Field of Dreams in 2023.
After the accident, he stayed out of the public eye for seven months. He says the constant media attention surrounding his condition was a great frustration.
"One of the big frustrations was the speculation. That's why I'm doing this now – to tell what actually happened," he says in the documentary.
Top Gear footage under criticism after Flintoff accident
The Morgan Super 3 is a three-wheeled car without a safety cabin, and Flintoff was riding without a helmet. The speed was only about 22 miles per hour – equivalent to about 35 km/h – but the accident resulted in broken ribs and extensive facial injuries.
The BBC has subsequently entered into a financial agreement with Flintoff worth approximately 9 million kroner.
His colleague Chris Harris, who was also present that day, subsequently spoke about the situation in an interview with Joe Rogan.
– He (Flintoff, ed.) wasn't wearing a helmet. And even at 25-30 miles per hour you can get serious injuries.
"I was there, on the radio I could hear them referring to it as 'very serious'. I looked out and he wasn't moving. I thought he was dead."
Flintoff has previously refused to comment on the accident. It is only now in the Flintoff documentary that he chooses to put his experiences that day into words.
He describes how he finds it difficult to ask for help.
– I need to stop crying all the time. I'm still here. I've been given a second chance.
BBC and safety criticism: Was the accident avoidable?
After the accident, there has been focus on whether the filming for Top Gear met current safety standards.
According to Chris Harris, he had expressed concerns about safety the day before the accident.
Harris has stated that he was the only other host present that day. He has suggested that there was a lack of clear safety procedures and timely action by the production.
The BBC has since stopped all new recordings of Top Gear. There has been no announcement as to whether the program will return.
The accident and Flintoff's long road back raise questions about the responsibility for safety during television productions, especially when actors are pressured to perform risky stunts.
Top Gear has been criticized for similar incidents in the past, but Flintoff's accident is one of the most serious in the program's history.
More about Top Gear and the world of cars
Flintoff's story isn't the only time a famous person has gone wrong during car filming.
At Boosted, we have also written about the accidents that could have cost the life of former Top Gear host Richard Hammond during the filming of the program.
When Hammond later left the BBC to start The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime with James May and Jeremy Clarkson, it also nearly cost him his life several times. Read more about it here .
